Ever Eaten Chicken-Fried Mountain Lion?

Well if you bought this book, you'd have the know-how to cook it up right.

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Who would have thought a book of Cajun/Creole wild fish and game recipes could be so savage and still sound so tempting? I didn't, but I have seen the light. Commander's Wild Side by Ti Adelaide Martin and Tory McPhail celebrates the hardscrabble origins of Louisiana culture and the spicy, inventive cuisine that it spawned.

Martin and McPhail, co-owner and executive chef, respectively, of the venerated Commander's Palace restaurant in New Orleans, share a passion for hunting, fishing, and the dishes that result from the spoils of the sport. They have a profound respect for "living off the land" which seems to involve eating like a big-bellied royal.

The recipes inspire a range of emotions, from delight (Tasso-Stuffed Shrimp with Roasted Garlic Cream - mmmm) to wonder (Bacon-Seared Duck Breasts over Crawfish Popcorn Rice - ooooo) to downright fear (Black Bear stew - yikes!). But if you look past some of the "wilder" ingredients, the recipes are all quite appealing. Take the Grilled Wild Boar Chops with Southern Comfort-Apricot Glaze recipe, which features a simple, yet spicy, glaze made from bourbon, dried apricots, corn syrup, and red pepper flakes. It all sounds quite heavenly, but I doubt the local A&P carries boar. No worries -- at the end of each recipe that calls for out-of-the-ordinary ingredients, Martin and McPhail suggest alternatives. "No boar? Substitute lamb or pork chops or any type of game."

That brings to mind another perverse benefit of this book: the authors explain the flavor of wild animal meat, and how to adjust your seasoning style to accommodate its, often, pronounced flavor. Apparently, mountain lion meat is considered to be the best-tasting wild game due to its finicky nature. These monster cats only eat what they kill, which means their diet is very fresh, so their meat is super tasty. Also, did you know that elk tastes like venison, only gamier, and that rabbit tastes much like chicken, only slightly richer in flavor? So much to be tasted and learned for innocent city-dwellers like myself!

Tip: Recipes are grouped first by sections of the great outdoors (Sea, Stream, Air, and Land) and then they meander out into other categories such as Not-So-Wild Game, Campfire Cooking, Showstopping Dishes, and The Sweet Finish. So you should be prepared for a bit of browsing since the organization is nontraditional/cute.

Question of the week: What's the wildest animal you've ever eaten? And did you like it?

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